Astrometrik weekly
the United States this week
3 launches were tied to the United States this week:
- September 20, 2026 — Starlink Group 15-27 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA: reached orbit.
- September 19, 2026 — Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12) on Electron (Rocket Lab) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, : reached orbit.
- September 17, 2026 — USSF-259 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA: reached orbit.
Coming up with a the United States connection:
- September 26, 2026 at 12:15 AM UTC — Owlright, Owlright, Owlright (StriX Launch 13) on Electron (Rocket Lab) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, .
- September 26, 2026 at 11:56 AM UTC — USSF-385 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
- September 28, 2026 at 12:15 PM UTC — Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14) on Starship (SpaceX) from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA.
- October 1, 2026 at 3:10 PM UTC — Crew-13 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
From New York, the best night of the coming week looks like September 30, 2026: about 5% cloud cover, with the Moon bright at 92% lit. Tonight's sky for New York, and for wherever you are.
Headlines mentioning the United States this week:
- Risk of Hydrazine Use Following Freeze–Thaw Exposure — NASA
- NASA’s Hubble Seeks Lensed Supernova, Marks 200,000 Orbits — NASA
- APOD: 2026 September 23 – A New Lunar Crater: McGetchin — NASA
- Boom Year for Desert Blooms — NASA
Last week in orbit
9 rockets reached for orbit this week, 8 of them successfully.
- September 17, 2026 — SatNet LEO Group 25 on Long March 12 (China Aerospace Science and Technology C) from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic : reached orbit.
- September 17, 2026 — USSF-259 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA: reached orbit.
- September 17, 2026 — SpaceTY-51 & 52 on Kuaizhou 11 (ExPace) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Repu: reached orbit.
- September 17, 2026 — Glonass-K1 No. 20 (?) on Soyuz 2.1b/Fregat (Russian Space Forces) from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation: reached orbit.
- September 19, 2026 — Owl By The Dozen (StriX Launch 12) on Electron (Rocket Lab) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, : reached orbit.
- September 19, 2026 — PIESAT-2 13-16 on Long March 2D (China Aerospace Science and Technology C) from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Repu: reached orbit.
- September 20, 2026 — Starlink Group 15-27 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA: reached orbit.
- September 20, 2026 — 9 satellites on Kinetica 1 (CAS Space) from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Repu: reached orbit.
- September 23, 2026 — Unknown Payload on Long March 8A (China Aerospace Science and Technology C) from Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic : in flight.
The days ahead
- September 24, 2026 at 8:45 AM UTC — Unknown Payload on Long March 6A (China Aerospace Science and Technology C) from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, People's Repu.
- September 26, 2026 at 12:15 AM UTC — Owlright, Owlright, Owlright (StriX Launch 13) on Electron (Rocket Lab) from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1, Mahia Peninsula, .
- September 26, 2026 at 11:56 AM UTC — USSF-385 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA.
- September 28, 2026 at 12:15 PM UTC — Starlink Group 31-1 (Starship Flight 14) on Starship (SpaceX) from SpaceX Starbase, TX, USA.
- October 1, 2026 at 3:10 PM UTC — Crew-13 on Falcon 9 Block 5 (SpaceX) from Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA.
What to watch in the sky
The Moon is waxing gibbous (83% lit). Full moon on September 27, 2026, new moon on October 12, 2026. 3 near-Earth asteroids pass within 40 lunar distances in the coming week; the closest is 2012 VB37, 26.8 lunar distances away on September 23, 2026. Geomagnetic activity peaked at Kp 3.0 on September 17, 2026. At the time of writing the solar wind is blowing at 302 km/s.
Elsewhere in space
- Space explorers in the land of volcanoes — ESA, September 23, 2026
- First switch on for ESA-JAXA Ramses asteroid mission — ESA, September 23, 2026
- There are now 17,000 satellites in orbit—and growing. Should we be concerned? — Arstechnica, September 23, 2026
- A hitchhiker’s guide to Hera’s target asteroids — ESA, September 23, 2026
- Rocket Factory Augsburg ‘Boost!’ extension in run-up to first launch — ESA, September 23, 2026
- Italy to Spend Over $5 Billion to Send Two Astronauts to the Moon — European Spaceflight, September 23, 2026
About these numbers
Astrometrik measures these things itself, every hour, from NOAA, NASA, CelesTrak and Launch Library data. The sky map shows tonight from wherever you are, with visible ISS passes and the best observing nights; the launch board lists every rocket like an airport departure board; space weather tracks the solar wind and the aurora. This bulletin is the week, written down.
Sources
Launches: Launch Library 2 (The Space Devs). Asteroids: NASA/JPL via NeoWs. Space weather: NOAA Space Weather Prediction Center. ISS orbit: CelesTrak. Cloud forecast: MET Norway. Headlines: Spaceflight News API, each linked to its original publisher.